Thembekile Ntuliki, Sunday News Reporter
The Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe held a march in Bulawayo yesterday as part of raising awareness of Congenital Heart Disease.
Congenital Heart Disease is a defect of a baby’s heart that occurs during pregnancy. Globally one percent of all children born have congenital heart defects with the significant proportion of these children dying early on in life if they are not operated on. The disease has caused a significant mortality in those under five years.
Speaking at the march, director of Brave Little Hearts director Ms Tendai Moyo said the aim was to bring to the fore the prevention, detection and treatment of cardiac disease.
Checking the baby’s heart beat – Image taken from Shutterstock
“This indeed is a great milestone towards us as a community which has children living with heart diseases as we are raising awareness for these children and intervention for them. We are advocating for these children to get early diagnosis, to get more specialist and get medication,” said Ms Moyo.
Bulawayo Provincial Medical Director Dr Maphios Siamuchembu, who was the guest of honour said non-communicable diseases make up 33 percent of health challenges in Zimbabwe while cardiovascular diseases, including Congenital Heart Defects, are second at 11 percent.
“As the Ministry of Health and Child Care, we are grateful to Brave Little Hearts for bringing to the fore the plight of children born and living with Congenital Heart diseases. We may not have been aware the extent of the problem of congenital diseases in the country although we are aware that there are children born with the disease so that as we plan, as we advocate for resources in hospitals we do not forget that population,” said Dr Siamuchembu.
“With the growing number of NDCs and the impact Covid-19 has had on people with cardiac diseases, especially the children, a comprehensive cardiac strategy that looks at all aspects of cardiac management in the country is important. In particular, the need for critical lifesaving surgeries is recognized, the need to equip our hospitals with equipment and trained personnel cannot be overemphasized,” he added.
He said the ministry was committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure Zimbabwe reduces the high mortality rates due to childhood cardiac diseases.
“I would like to thank the Brave Little Hearts Zimbabwe and their partners, stakeholders and the community for complementing the Ministry of Health and Children’s drive and ensure that children with congenital heart diseases are not left behind,” said Dr Siamuchemu.
“We are grateful for partnerships that have enabled some patients to access life saving surgeries and treatment outside the country. Our focus now is turned to garner both technical and financial support to strengthen our health systems for NCDs and raise awareness,” he said.